Taste Of Atlanta Starts Tomorrow

It’s time to savor fall weather and fabulous food once again at this year’s Taste of Atlanta. The 8th annual outdoor food festival is being held in Midtown's Technology Square from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11. WaterHaven and EVOS will be among the more than 80 restaurants cooking up some of their specialties at the festival. In addition to trying all types of food, there will be demos by national and local chefs including a demonstration by Mary Moore, founder of The Cook's Warehouse, on the main cooking stage Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets, including 15 taste coupons, are $25 per person through October 9 then $30 at the event; VIP tickets, available for guests 21 years of age and up, are $65 each and include the Wine and Beer Experience. Kids 13 and under are admitted free with a paid adult. Tasting coupons must be purchased for food samples. For more information, visit http://www.tasteofatlanta.net/.

Give Some Love to Local Farmers

If you haven’t already heard, Woodfire Grill is helping Love is Love Farm recover from flash flood damage by hosting a wine dinner benefit for the farm on Sunday, October 11. Seats are going fast, and this is the perfect opportunity to taste Woodfire Grill Executive Chef/Co-owner Kevin Gillespie’s outstanding farm-to-table fare while helping out a good cause. Love is Love Farm, located in Douglasville, Georgia, is a provider of organic produce for Woodfire Grill and sustained severe damage after two-thirds of the farm’s land was submerged during the heavy rains last month. ALL proceeds from the evening will be donated to Love is Love for these repairs. The event begins with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., followed by a seated dinner at 6:30 p.m. Chef Kevin will create a four-course menu that will be paired with wines selected by Woodfire Grill Co-owner and Wine Director Nicolas Quinones. Cost is $100 per person; reservations are required and can be made by calling 404-347-9055.

Woodfire Grill: 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road.

RA Sushi Hosts Scary Shoe Party

In honor of Halloween, RA Sushi hosted the Hello Stiletto Shoe Club for their "Scary Shoe Party" last night. Attendees were encouraged to wear their most horrifyingly grotesque and frightening footwear. Whether they were terrifyingly out-of-date, or just had a gruesome pattern or color, all shoes were welcome at this party. Prizes were awarded for the scariest shoes in different Halloween-themed categories. The evening also featured complimentary appetizers and drink specials.

Congrats to Keira, Marc and Pacci - Esquire Best New Restaurants!

Congratulations to the team at Pacci Ristorante, led by Chef Keira Moritz and GM Marc Taft - the restaurant was named one of the Top 20 Best New Restaurants in America by Esquire magazine! Read more in AJC's Meridith Ford's column. These guys work so hard and we are so proud of them. And we're thrilled for our friend Mark Alba at Paces 88 who was also honored. Yay, Atlanta!!

$25 Three-Course Dinner Menu at Ray’s Restaurants

In celebration of Ray’s on the River’s 25th Anniversary, guests are invited to sit down to a special $25 three-course dinner through October 11. The celebratory menu will be offered at Ray’s on the River as well as Ray’s Killer Creek and Ray’s in the City.

Choose a starter from three salad selections -- house, Caesar or Ray’s Anniversary Salad -- or a cup of crab bisque or New England-style clam chowder. Select an entrée of grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus; a six-ounce filet served with mashed potatoes and béarnaise; or butternut squash ravioli and grilled shrimp topped with vanilla bean brown butter and grainy mustard beurre blanc and served with grilled asparagus. Dessert options include chocolate cake and crème brûlée. Wine pairing suggestions are listed on the menu and are available at an additional charge. Three-course menu items cannot be split.

Remember to check out Ray’s Restaurants on Facebook because every Friday in October a fan will be awarded a $100 gift card for answering the day’s trivia question correctly.

Ray’s on the River: 6700 Powers Ferry Road, Sandy Springs; 770-955-1187. Ray’s Killer Creek: 1700 Mansell Road, Alpharetta; 770-649-0064. Ray’s in the City: 240 Peachtree Street, NW; 404-524-9224.

Happy National Taco Day!

It's National Taco Day but don't go to Taco Bell! Get the much yummier version at Uncle Julio's on Peachtree Street. They have tons of options, plus soft and hard shells. Kids like them too! Tacos go great with a Swirl. Just saying.

(Next year you'll have two Uncle Julio's locations to celebrate this day - Buckhead and Perimeter!)